Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-28284

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is of ground investigations at (a) Moss of Rotten, (b) Craiglug, (c) Silverburn and (d) Kingcausie in preparation for the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

The ground investigations carried out in the areas known as Moss of Rotten, Craiglug, Silverburn and Kingcausie were included in a number of contracts covering wider areas of the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. The estimated cost of the ground investigations carried out at these specific areas is not available as the contracts let cover a wider area along the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. However, details of the individual contracts let which cover the specific areas highlighted are given in the following table:

Contract Description	Contract Value
A preliminary ground investigation contract for the area between Charleston to Kingswells and the area from the A90/B979 Junction at Stonehaven to Cleanhill was let in 2006.	£995,690
A detailed ground investigation at Kingcausie Estate was undertaken in 2007.	£243,657
A detailed ground investigation contract for the area between South of the River Dee (Kingcausie) and Kingswells was let in 2009. As the contract has only recently been completed the final cost of the works has not yet been agreed with the Contractor. The cost shown is therefore the value of the successful tender.	£1,165,537

Note: The above costs exclude VAT. The costs also exclude supervision fees and landowner compensation in relation to disturbance during the ground investigation.

Question reference: S3W-28285

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost to the public purse is of the relocation of the International School of Aberdeen to Pitfodels in preparation for the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Question reference: S3W-28086

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have had surgical operations following a referral to the adult scoliosis service at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh since 1 April 2009, broken down by NHS board.

To date, no patients referred specifically to the adult scoliosis service have had an operation. During the first phase of the introduction of the adult scoliosis service, clinical priority has been given to younger adult patients (17 to 20 years). A number of such patients had been referred to the paediatric scoliosis service prior to April 2009. Given the experience and expertise of the staff working in the paediatric service and the need to develop the skills of the staff based at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, all operations to date have been performed at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children Edinburgh. Between April and September 2009, 11 adult patients (17 to 20 years) have had an operation.

Table 1: Surgical Operations for Scoliosis in Patients Aged Over 17 Years Since 1 April 2009

NHS Board	April	May	June	July	August	September
Ayrshire and Arran						1
Borders
Dumfries and Galloway
Fife			2
Forth Valley
Grampian
Greater Glasgow and Clyde				1	1	1
Highlands
Lanarkshire				1
Lothian			1	1		1
Orkney
Shetland
Tayside					1
Western Isles
Total	0	0	3	3	2	3

Question reference: S3W-28087

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25112 by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 July 2009, how many referrals there have been to the adult scoliosis service at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh since June 2009, broken down by NHS board.

Table 1: Patients aged 17 years and over referred to the scoliosis service April to September 2009:

Referrals Over 17 Years	April	May	June	July	August	September
Ayrshire and Arran
Borders						1
Dumfries and Galloway
Fife			1	1
Forth Valley			1			2
Grampian		1		1
Greater Glasgow and Clyde			1	1	1	4
Highlands		2	1	1
Lanarkshire						1
Lothian	3	5	4	1	1	4
Orkney
Shetland
Tayside			2		1
Western Isles
Total	3	8	10	5	3	12

The criteria for the adult scoliosis service were clarified in July 2009 when the decision was taken to set the transition point between the paediatric and adult services at age 17. The figures supplied for S3W-25112 were provided before this decision was taken and included seven patients who were aged 16 years. For clarity, the table includes the number of patients aged 17 years and over who were referred during the period April to September.

Question reference: S3W-28088

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what waiting time guarantee is given to patients for an initial appointment and for treatment, following a referral to the adult scoliosis service at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

The adult scoliosis service in NHS Lothian is covered by our waiting time targets. The current waiting time standards for both outpatient consultation following referral from a general practitioner and for inpatient and day case treatment is 15 weeks and these will reduce to 12 weeks from 31 March 2010. The 12 week outpatient waiting time will also be extended at that time to include referrals not only from general practitioners but also other sources such as consultant-to-consultant referrals. It should however be recognised that due to the case complexity of these scoliosis cases and the high standard of clinical care required, it may not always be possible to deliver the waiting time standards as it is not possible to offer the treatment elsewhere within the United Kingdom within a shorter wait. I have been given an assurance that every effort is being made by NHS Lothian to reduce waiting times for this service and all available clinical capacity is being fully utilised.

Question reference: S3W-28002

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 5 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions its officials have had since May 2007 with officials in the (a) Department of Trade and Industry, (b) Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and (c) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about funds in Ofgem’s Fossil Fuel Levy account.

Question reference: S3W-27997

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 4 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence Scottish ministers have had since May 2007 with HM Treasury ministers about funds in Ofgem’s Fossil Fuel Levy account.

The Scottish Government has made numerous representations to the UK Government on the subject of access to Scotland''s Fossil Fuel Levy surplus.

The matter has been raised at ministerial meetings with UK Government counterparts and has been discussed at official level. We continue to make the case for a solution which would allow these funds to be released for investment in renewable energy in Scotland.

For example, a letter of 30 July 2009 from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth to the Chancellor included a request for a meeting with UK ministers to discuss the Fossil Fuel Levy as part of our joint preparation for the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. To date, no reply to that correspondence has been received.

The dates and signatories of correspondence with the Treasury on this subject are shown in the following table:

Date	From	To
25 October 2007	Scottish Government Deputy Director of Finance	HM Treasury
14 February 2008	HM Treasury	Scottish Government Deputy Director of Finance
22 September 2008	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth	Chief Secretary to the Treasury
7 October 2008	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth	Chief Secretary to the Treasury
21 October 2008	Chief Secretary to the Treasury	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
12 November 2008	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth	Chief Secretary to the Treasury
11 March 2009	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth	Chancellor of the Exchequer
10 April 2009	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth	Chancellor of the Exchequer
5 June 2009	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth	Chancellor of the Exchequer
15 July 2009	Chief Secretary to the Treasury	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
30 July 2009	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth	Chancellor of the Exchequer

Question reference: S3W-28011

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 4 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence its have had with Welsh Assembly Government officials about funds in Ofgem’s Fossil Fuel Levy account

Question reference: S3W-28003

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 4 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence its officials have had since May 2007 with officials in the (a) Department of Trade and Industry, (b) Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and (c) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about funds in Ofgem’s Fossil Fuel Levy account.

Question reference: S3W-27999

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 4 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence its officials have had since May 2007 with HM Treasury officials about funds in Ofgem’s Fossil Fuel Levy account.